Nothing can cause a parent more worry and stress than finding good, quality daycare for their child. Quality curriculum, a good child-to-caregiver ratio and a state certification may be high on your list of requirements, but No. 1 on the mind of most parents is safety.

For Crystal Porter, mother of two from Springfield, Ill., safety was a prime concern. "I wanted to make sure the person was certified in areas such as CPR, that they were licensed by the state, as well as no history of complaints against him/her,” she says.

Scary Statistics
According to a 1998 study done by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), two-thirds of the 220 childcare settings exhibited at least one of the eight safety hazards targeted in the study. The eight hazards inspected included cribs, soft bedding, playground surfacing, playground surfacing maintenance, child safety gates, window blind cords, drawstrings in children's clothing and recalled children's products.

The statistics get more alarming: About 31,000 children, 4 years old and younger, were treated in hospital emergency rooms for injuries at childcare/school settings in 1997. CPSC is aware of at least 56 children who have died in childcare settings since 1990.

What to Look For
So how is a parent to find a childcare situation that will, above all, be safe? First, you need to know what you are looking for.

Marian McDonald has been in the childcare business for more than eight years and last year founded an organization called Professional Association of Certified Childcare Educators (PACCE). PACCE was formed to meet the needs of experienced, established in-home childcare providers who operate professional businesses. It is primarily a networking organization whose members have chosen to network with their colleagues in an effort to provide early childhood education to others about certified family childcare, provide peer support and to share information, opportunities and expertise.

McDonald suggests asking if your prospective daycare giver belongs to such an organization or is involved in continuing education. "My colleagues and I have thrown up our hands over how little research some parents put into finding quality daycare," says McDonald. "Some put more research into buying a car than they do finding a place for their child. Parents really need to have a consumer mentality when it comes to childcare."

According to McDonald, having a consumer mentality means shopping around before you buy: checking the prospective homes for how childproof they are, learning how often the provider attends continuing education classes and finding out if the provider is certified. "It's very important that parents know the difference between certified and licensed," says McDonald. "Most states have their own regulations concerning childcare, and parents need to educate themselves on what they are. Then you will know the policy on things such as background checks, first aid certification and food handling."

Traci Amor, mother of three from Livermore, Calif., learned about childcare safety the hard way. After placing her child in what she thought was a quality daycare, she learned the place was about to be shut down for failing health codes and abuse. "It turned out to be a huge mistake," says Amor.

Though her child was only in that daycare for a few days, the experience made her wary, and when she began looking for another one, she went armed with a checklist of requirements. "I came a couple of times at different times throughout the days before she started to see if they were organized and the teachers had control over the kids in a friendly and energetic way," says Amor. "I looked at the play area outside to make sure it was clean and safe. I also looked around the walls to see if the outlets were plugged."

Knowledge is power when it comes to choosing a safe childcare situation for your child. Be armed with a list of safety requirements before you go and make sure to check out any references they give you. But for real security there is nothing better than having a referral from someone you know and trust. There are many childcare situations available for your child with safety-conscious, nurturing caregivers, and it is your responsibility to ferret them out.

And when you come to the point of making a decision, it's OK to use your intuition. "Parents should trust their gut feelings," says McDonald. "No matter how clean and safe it looks, if you feel uncomfortable with the situation, don't leave your child there."

Want to see more?

• Family Energy Magazine
• Selecting Quality Childcare
• Nanny Search 101: Finding the Right Fit for Your Family
• Don’t Leave It to Luck: Learn Infant/Child CPR
• Talk about it!